Health Navigator Program
About the Program
Many healthcare consumers struggle to access and interpret their electronic health information, which can contribute to patient frustration, missed appointments, and poor health outcomes.
The AHIMA Foundation believes that health navigators are in a unique position to influence people’s abilities to access, understand, and use their health information.
By training and empowering health navigators to foster meaningful interactions, we can close critical gaps can create sustainable improvements in how consumers advocate for their own care and well-being.
How It Works
Navigators and advocates are skilled at working with healthcare consumers but need training to help consumers access their health information via digital health tools.
The AHIMA Foundation is developing a module-based training program that targets patient engagement with and access of medical information.
Through skills training, navigators can break through literacy barriers, impact healthcare access and coordination; insurance coverage and continuity; and diversity and cultural competency.
Leveraging their existing skills and empowering navigators with the tools needed to address digital health literacy would be a sustainable way to improve consumers' digital health literacy.
Our Vision
The AHIMA Foundation seeks to become a key resource and support for navigators, including:
- A trusted source of professional and patient-facing resources
- A platform for navigators to communicate with each other around healthcare consumer needs
- Advocate for navigators to become a standard practice across healthcare
The AHIMA Foundation is in the exploratory stages of creating a program designed to help health navigators improve interactions with health consumers for a variety of health-related needs, including the use of information technology to manage their care. We are looking for subject-matter experts in patient experience, communications, and activation, as well as experts in patient-facing technology, such as portals and telehealth, to help design content for training modules that health systems, insurance companies, and community health organizations can provide to their navigator teams. If you are interested in participating, please contact Megan McVane [mailto:megan.mcvane@ahimafoundation.org], Director of Impact Programs.
